A Benedictine monk who grew up in Birmingham as Gabriel Paulter and another who grew up in Cuba as Gustavo Alvarado-Garcia were ordained on June 10 at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman.

Paulter, who will now be known as Father Paschal, attended St. Rose Academy in Birmingham, where he was taught by the Nashville Dominican Sisters. He later attended St. Bernard Preparatory School, on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey.

Paulter made his first profession of vows as a Benedictine monk in 2015. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, N.C., before entering St. Meinrad Seminary to earn a master of divinity degree.

Alvarado-Garcia, who will now be called Father Pachomius, was born in Perico, Cuba, where his mother still lives. He pursued religious studies at Instituto María Reina in Havana, Cuba. He moved to Colombia and entered Monasterio Benedictino de Tibati in Bogota. It was there that he had his first contact with Father Joel Martin, a Benedictine priest from St. Bernard Abbey, who was visiting the Colombian monastery. Alvarado-Garcia has been studying at St. Meinrad Seminary to earn his master of divinity degree.

“We are blessed to have two new priests in our community who will serve God and His people with love and joy,” said Abbot Marcus Voss, the abbot of St. Bernard Abbey. “We pray that they may be faithful and fruitful ministers of the gospel who are guided by the Holy Spirit and follow the example of St. Benedict, our patron.”

The ordination was officiated by Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, a Benedictine who serves as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark.

The ordination liturgy was also attended by Bishop Steven Raica, head of the Diocese of Birmingham, and his predecessor, retired Bishop Robert Baker.

St. Bernard Abbey is a community of Benedictine monks founded in 1891 in Cullman, Alabama. The abbey operates St. Bernard Preparatory School for grades 7-12 and hosts retreats for groups and individuals at its retreat center on its grounds.